|
Our parashah, Parashat Vayakhel, discusses the various donations to the Mishkan. In doing so, the Torah says (Shemot 35: 21):
ַיָבֹאוּ כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אֹתוֹ
And every man whose heart moved him and everyone whose spirit urged him came.
The word אֹתוֹ in this pasuk seems unnecessary. The following idea is attributed to the Chatam Sofer (R. Moshe Schreiber, 1762–1839). Often, when there is a need to collect money for a certain goal, people tend to look around to see how much others are giving. If others contribute generously, they may consider giving more; if others contribute sparingly, they may consider giving less.
In this regard, the Torah aims to teach us a lesson: the נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ ([everyone] whose spirit urged him) is connected with the third person singular pronoun אֹתוֹ (him or — as we may add — אוֹתָה, her). Meaning, the desire of one to give should be dependent on the person’s own judgment, with no regard to what others might do.
It is possible to extend the subject of giving to other forms of action and the theme of the Mishkan to school life. School is a lot about socialization: developing interpersonal-communication skills, making friends, and learning how to function as individuals within a larger group. Arguably, one of the biggest challenges is to learn when and how to resist social pressure and maintain one’s own view even if that view may not always be considered popular or dominant.
| 
